Frontline started training social worker students in 2014. It was inspired by the 'Teach First' fast-track scheme for teachers. The scheme targets those graduates deemed to be ‘high flying’, particularly those from Russell Group universities, and trains them as children’s social workers.

• Minimum entry requirement is a 2:1 degree, not in social work.
• The programme lasts two years.
• In the first year trainees complete a five week intensive summer institute, followed by a year-long placement in a local authority alongside academic sessions.
• At the end of the first year trainees get a post-graduate diploma in social work. This allows them to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• In the second year Frontline trainees work as a qualified social worker in children’s services and continue studying towards a master’s degree as well as completing a leadership development programme.
• In the first year trainees receive a bursary of around £19,000.
• In the second year they are paid a salary by their ‘host’ council (approximately £24,000).
• The curriculum and training is designed and delivered by The Frontline Academy. This is made up of the University of Bedfordshire, the Institute of Family Therapy and the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.

See 'Social work fast-track schemes: what we do and don’t know' on the Community Care website.